1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile electronic apparatus (a portable telephone, a portable electronic information terminal, etc.) storing various types of personal data, and more particularly to a mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user by biometrics information (fingerprint, palmprint, finger shape, hand shape, voiceprint, retina, iris, facial recognition, signature dynamics, blood vessel pattern, key strokes, etc.).
2. Description of the Related Art
Multifunctional mobile electronic apparatuses (various types of potable electronic information terminals and portable telephones) nowadays not only function as electronic notebooks or telephones but also receive/transmit electronic information and image information via wired/wireless networks. Further, such mobile electronic apparatuses can also be used in bank account settlement, electronic commerce, or securities trading. For realizing these varying functions in one mobile electronic apparatus, various types of applications are started or executed in the mobile electronic apparatus.
When such applications are started or executed in the mobile electronic apparatus, an ID and a password must be input for each application. Likewise, when bank account settlement or electronic commerce is made, a bank account number and a personal identification number (PIN) must be input.
In general, ID and bank account number are previously stored in a memory or the like so that the user is unnecessary to input such numbers by himself/herself, while the password and the PIN must be input by the user with push or touch buttons (ten keys) for verifying the user.
However, these conventional mobile electronic apparatus have the following problems.
When plural types of applications or plural bank accounts are used in one mobile electronic apparatus, plural passwords or PINs can be used one for each application ID or bank account. This occasionally would make it difficult for the user to remember which one is for which.
An idea could be considered to store the passwords or the PINs in the mobile electronic apparatus in correlation with the application IDs or bank accounts. In mobile electronic apparatuses currently put on the market, however, even if various types of personal data (secret information) such as passwords or PINs are stored, there have been equipped with no system to protect or guard the stored information. This is a serious problem in security despite of the great convenience realized by the function of bank account settlement, electronic commerce, or stock trade.
Yet many of users tend to use an easy-to-remember string of characters or digits as a password or a PIN; for example, the user""s or family member""s name or birthday, telephone number, favorite word, etc. Assuming that a mobile electronic apparatus with such passwords or PINs registered is stolen or lost, it is a danger that an unauthorized person might use the function of bank account settlement or electronic commerce equipped in the apparatus.
Using passwords or PINs in user verification makes the system simple with reduced manufacturing cost, but it would be inevitable that the user should be security-conscious. Otherwise if hard-to-remember passwords or PINs are used in an effort to increase the security, the user might happen to forget them. If the passwords or PINs are stored in the mobile electronic apparatus for user""s convenience, they are easy to read out also by an unauthorized person because of the poor security so that the unauthorized person can use the above-mentioned function on the apparatus.
Thus, in order to protect or guard user""s various personal data (secret information) including passwords or PINs stored in a mobile electronic apparatus, the user verification by biometrics information, free from user-dependent security setting, has long been cherished in the market.
The biometrics information, which is the vital feature unique to a user, is presumably one of the ideal tools to eliminate the security problem, such as peeping by an unauthorized person.
With the foregoing problems in view, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile electronic apparatus in which biometrics information, free of fraud or theft, is used to verify a user so that the user""s personal data is most safely protected against any unauthorized user, thus realizing an improved degree of security.
In order to accomplish the above object, according to a first concept of the present invention, there is provided a mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user""s biometrics information, comprising: an input section for measuring biometrics information unique to a user to be verified and receiving the biometrics information; an extracting section for extracting, from the biometrics information measured and received by the input section, biometrics feature information for verification; a verifying section for comparing the biometrics feature information, which is extracted by the extracting section, with reference biometrics feature information unique to an authorized user to verify whether the user""s biometrics feature information matches the authorized user""s reference biometrics feature information; a storing section for storing personal data of the authorized user; a display section for displaying various types of information; and a display control section for controlling a state of displaying on the display section, the display control section being operative, if the result of the verification by the verifying section is positive, to read out the personal data of the authorized user from the storing section and control the display section to display the personal data thereon.
As a first preferable feature, the authorized user is an owner of the mobile electronic apparatus.
As a second preferable feature, the mobile electronic apparatus further comprises an interface section, adapted to be connected to an external apparatus, for outputting the personal data to the external apparatus if the result of the verification by the verifying section is positive. As an additional feature to the first or second feature of the present invention, the personal data is a personal identification code including a password, a personal identification number, or a secret key.
As a third preferable feature, the storing section stores the authorized user""s personal data in correlation with designation information designating the personal data, and the mobile electronic apparatus further comprises a designation information selecting section, which selects the designation information so as to specify the personal data to be displayed on the display section; if the result of the verification is positive, the display control section reads out from the storing section the personal data specified by the designation information selected by the designation information selecting section, and controls the display section to display the specified personal data thereon.
As an additional feature to the third preferable feature, the mobile electronic apparatus further comprises an interface section, adapted to be connected to an external apparatus, for outputting the personal data specified by the designation information selected by the designation information selecting section to the external apparatus if the result of the verification is positive. As another additional feature, the personal data is a personal identification code including a password, a personal identification number, or a secret key; and the designation information may be account information corresponding to the personal data and including an account name, an ID, a computer name, or an IP address.
As a fourth preferable feature, the storing section stores the authorized user""s personal data in correlation with both designation information designating the personal data and generic information that specifies both the personal data and the designation information, and the mobile electronic apparatus further comprises a generic information selecting section for selecting the generic information specifying both the personal data and the designation information to be displayed on the display section; if the result of the verification is positive, the display control section reads out from the storing section the personal data and the designation information, which are specified by the generic information selected by the generic information selecting section, and controls the display section to display the specified personal data and designation information thereon.
As an additional feature to the fourth preferable feature, the mobile electronic apparatus further comprises an interface section, adapted to be connected to an external apparatus, for outputting the personal data and the designation information, which are specified by the generic information selected by the generic information selecting section, to the external apparatus if the result of the verification is positive. As another additional feature, the personal data is a personal identification code including a password, a personal identification number, or a secret key; the designation information is account information corresponding to the personal data and including an account name, an ID, a computer name, or an IP address; and the generic information is a system name corresponding to the account information.
According to a second concept of the present invention, there is provided a mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user using the user""s biometrics information, comprising: an input section for measuring biometrics information unique to a user to be verified and receiving the biometrics information; an extracting section for extracting, from the biometrics information measured and received by the input section, biometrics feature information for verification; a verifying section for comparing the biometrics feature information, which is extracted by the extracting section, with reference biometrics feature information unique to an authorized user to verify whether the user""s biometrics feature information matches the authorized user""s reference biometrics feature information; a memory section for storing personal data of the authorized user; and an access control section for controlling access to the personal data, which is stored in the memory section, if the result of the verification is positive.
Preferably, the authorized user is an owner of the mobile electronic apparatus.
As another preferable feature, the mobile electronic apparatus further comprises an interface section, adapted to be connected to an information apparatus, for inputting and outputting the personal data from and to the information apparatus through the interface section if the result of the verification is positive. Further, the memory section functions as an extended drive medium of the information apparatus. Additionally, the type of the interface section is selected in accordance with an interface system of the information apparatus.
As still another preferable feature, the mobile electronic apparatus further comprises a storing section for previously storing the reference biometrics feature information.
As a further preferable feature, the mobile electronic apparatus further comprises: a medium interface section, adapted to be connected to a portable memory medium previously storing the reference biometrics feature information; and a read-out section for reading out the reference biometrics feature information from the portable memory medium through the medium interface section. The portable memory medium may be an IC card.
As an additional preferable feature, the mobile electronic apparatus further comprises a communications section for receiving the reference biometrics feature information from the external apparatus.
As still another preferable feature, the input section at least is disposed on a detachable element of the mobile electronic apparatus. As an additional feature to the tenth feature of the present invention, the detachable element is a battery pack.
With the mobile electronic apparatus equipped with a function of verifying a user by biometrics information of the present invention, if it is recognized by the input section, the extracting section, and the verifying section, that the biometrics feature information for verification matches the authorized user""s, personal data (password, personal identification number (PIN), and secret key, etc.) is read out from the storing section to be displayed on the display section. It is thus possible to manage and preserve the user""s (the authorized user""s) personal data by verifying the biometrics information. In other words, it is possible to protect or guard the authorized user""s personal data stored in the mobile electronic apparatus using biometrics information, which is free of fraud or theft.
Accordingly, user verification must be made using biometrics information such as a fingerprint, before displaying a password (PIN) to check. Thus, even if a user cannot remember a password (PIN) that has been randomly set, the user can use the mobile electronic apparatus to obtain the password, ensuring a high degree of security for the personal data. The same thing can be said for a secret key. At that time, since the personal data such as a password is merely displayed on the display section and it is the user who actually inputs a password, PIN, or secret key, the mobile electronic apparatus of the present invention is applicable between different systems.
Further, the authorized user""s personal data (password, PIN, secret key, etc.) is stored in correlation with designation information (account name, ID, computer name, IP address, etc.) designating the personal data. After user verification is successfully made, the personal data specified by the designation information selected by the designation information selecting section is displayed on the display section. In this manner, even if plural types of personal data are being stored, a user can selectively display desired personal data on the display section using the designation information.
Further, the authorized user""s personal data (password, PIN, secret key, etc.) is stored in correlation with both designation information (account name, ID, computer name, IP address, etc.) and generic information (system name, etc.). After user verification is successfully made, the personal data and the designation information, which are specified by the generic information selected by the generic information selecting section, is displayed on the display section. In this manner, even if plural types of personal data are stored, a user can selectively display desired personal data and desired designation information to be checked on the display section using the generic information, thus making it possible to assist when a user cannot remember not only a password but also an ID.
Since the personal data (password, PIN, secret key, etc.) can be output from an interface section to an external apparatus after user verification, it is possible to display the personal data on the display section for check and also to directly output the personal data to the external apparatus (mobile electronic information terminal, personal computer, etc.), improving the user-friendliness.
The personal data (password, PIN, secret key, etc.) specified by the designation information (account name, ID, computer name, IP address, etc.) selected by the designation information selecting section can be output from the interface section to an external apparatus after user verification. Therefore, even if plural types of personal data are stored, it is possible to selectively display the desired personal data, which is to be checked on the display section, using the designation information and also to directly output the personal data to the external apparatus (mobile electronic information terminal, personal computer, etc.), further improving the user-friendliness.
Further, the personal data and the designation information, which are specified by the generic information selected by the generic information selecting section, can be output from the interface section to an external apparatus after user verification. Therefore, even if plural types of personal data are stored, it is possible to selectively display desired designation information and personal data, which is to be checked on the display section, using the generic information and also to directly output the designation information and the personal data to an external apparatus (mobile electronic information terminal, personal computer, etc.), further improving the user-friendliness.
Moreover, with the mobile electronic apparatus of the present invention having a function of verifying a user by biometrics information, if the input section, the extraction section, and the verifying section have recognized that biometrics feature information for verification matches the authorized user""s feature information, the personal data in the memory section is allowed to be accessed. It is thus possible to manage and preserve the user""s (the authorized user""s) personal data by verifying biometrics information. In other words, it is possible to protect or guard the authorized user""s personal data stored in the mobile electronic apparatus using biometrics information, fraud or theft of which is impossible. Accordingly, user verification must be made by biometrics information, such as a fingerprint, before accessing (reading or writing) the personal data stored in the mobile electronic apparatus, guaranteeing a highest degree of security.
Partly since the personal data is allowed to be accessed from an external information apparatus through the interface section after user verification, and partly since the memory section is adapted to be operable as an extended drive medium of the information apparatus, it is possible to use the memory section of the mobile electronic apparatus as a portable storage device equipped with a locking function utilizing biometrics information.
Further, since the type of the interface section can be selected in accordance with the interface system (USB, serial/parallel, Smart Media (trade name of Toshiba corporation), network terminal, etc.) of the information apparatus, it is possible to connect the mobile electronic apparatus to the information apparatus, irrespective of the type of the interface system of the information apparatus, for serving as an external storage device.
Since the mobile electronic apparatus of the present invention includes another storing section previously storing reference biometrics feature information, the mobile electronic apparatus can serve as an apparatus for an authorized user""s personal use, whose biometrics feature information is registered in the storing section as reference biometrics feature information.
Further, since the mobile electronic apparatus includes a medium interface section adapted to be connected to a portable memory medium (IC card, etc.) previously storing the reference biometrics feature information and a read-out section for reading out the reference biometrics feature information from the portable memory medium through the medium interface section, only the authorized user, whose biometrics feature information is registered in the portable memory medium as reference biometrics feature information, is allowed to check or access the personal data stored in the storing section or the memory section.
Furthermore, since the mobile electronic apparatus of the present invention includes a communications section, adapted to be communicatably connected to an external apparatus, for receiving the reference biometrics feature information from the external apparatus, only the authorized user, whose biometrics feature information is received from the external apparatus through the communications section as reference biometrics feature information, is allowed to check or access the personal data stored in the storing section or the memory section.
Still further, since at least the input section (i.e., a part that is in charge of verifying a user by biometrics information) is disposed on a detachable element (battery pack, etc.) of the mobile electronic apparatus, a function of verifying a user by biometric information can be added to the mobile electronic apparatus in a simple manner, without impairing the mobility of the mobile electronic apparatus and without making any change to hardware of a mobile electronic apparatus currently put on the market.
Other objects and further features of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.